Funding for new Bowen conference centre

A $4 million conference and cultural centre is planned for Flagstaff Hill at Bowen, supported by funding from Queensland’s Building our Regions (BoR) program.

The project has secured $2 million from BoR, $1 million from Whitsunday Regional Council, and $1 million from the Queensland and Commonwealth Government’s jointly funded Tourism Recovery Fund.

State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning Minister Cameron Dick said the new development would replace the former centre, which was damaged during Cyclone Debbie in 2017.

“This
project is a regional employment driver that will benefit many local businesses
in the short and long-term,” Mr Dick said.

“The state-of-the-art facility will feature stunning 360-degree views of the Whitsunday Islands, Great Barrier Reef and hinterland, and will cater for up to 200 people.”

Round 4 of
Building our Regions will see the Palaszczuk Government partner with 37
councils on 49 projects – work which will create an estimated 657 jobs.

Under
previous rounds, the program has allocated $225 million to 174 critical
infrastructure projects across the state, generating 1762 jobs and attracting additional
investment of $353.5 million from councils and other organisations.

Through the
first three rounds of BoR, Whitsunday Regional Council received $5,107,500 for
three projects, supporting around 32 construction jobs.